


all the world's a stage

by haleofStilesheart



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Kiss, Getting Together, Implied Pining Stiles, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Derek, School Play, Theater AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleofStilesheart/pseuds/haleofStilesheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek keeps distracted on stage and forgetting his lines. It's all Stiles' fault.</p><p> </p><p>  <em>Derek had known it was a huge mistake to join the fall play, especially last minute, but he'd been helpless to resist once he'd seen Stiles’ name on the cast list.<em></em></em></p>
            </blockquote>





	all the world's a stage

**Author's Note:**

> For the ❄ prompt: 150. "I really did love you."
> 
> [Send me a prompt!](http://hale-of-stiles-heart.tumblr.com/)

“I really did love you.”

He sounded so miserable Derek almost forgot he was supposed to be furious with him. Almost forgot he was supposed to hate him with every last fiber of his being. Almost forgot that  _ he _ was the one who broke his heart. 

Stiles looked up at him from under his thick eyelashes, looking so fragile and helpless that Derek wants nothing than to take him into his arms and kiss away that look of pain. But he couldn't. 

He was supposed to yell at him, reject him, tell him he never wants to see him again. But again he couldn't. He was too busy counting the moles on Stiles’ cheeks, too busy admiring the slight flush on those cheeks, too busy staring at him with the same starstruck wonder that had gotten him into this mess in the first place.

Stiles’ expression quickly shifted from despondent and hopeless to unadulterated confusion as he looked back at Derek, brows furrowed in silent question. Derek was about to ask what was wrong when Coach bellowed, as loud as humanly possible, “Cut!”

Derek winced as he was wrenched from his reverie, preternaturally sensitive ears ringing painfully thanks to Coach's overzealous use of his trusty bullhorn. Blinking rapidly, he took in his surroundings, remembering where he was. Coach was standing by the edge of the stage in the pit, face buried in one hand while he shook his head in palpable annoyance, bullhorn in the other. Stiles was standing on the stage across from Derek, dramatically rolling his eyes at Coach's histrionics or Derek's show stopping slip up, Derek didn't know. 

Feeling like an even bigger idiot than the time he'd literally tripped over his own feet in the hallway because Erica pointed out how good a certain someone's ass looked in their new red jeans, Derek scrubbed a hand down his face, sighing heavily. 

He'd known it was a huge mistake to join the fall play, especially last minute, but he'd been helpless to resist once he'd seen Stiles’ name on the cast list posted in the cafeteria. He'd originally assumed he could land a part as an extra or even just help finish painting some of the sets, anything to be able to watch Stiles animatedly deliver his lines and emphatically work the crowd. But when he'd learned that Danny had dropped out of the play due to other obligations and the play was in dire need of a lead, he'd thought what harm could it do to volunteer. 

His decision may or may not have been heavily influenced by the encouraging smile Stiles had sent him when he'd shown up for rehearsal after school and asked Coach for a spur of the moment audition. 

Turns out it could do a lot of harm. Mostly to his self esteem. He'd thought that joining the play would offer an easy, pain free way to get closer to Stiles, if only to be able to watch him from afar as per his usual MO, but it only managed to serve as another way to embarrass himself. Publicly. In front of Stiles, no less. He knew he should have listened to Erica and just gone to every showing of the play to gawk at Stiles for an hour and a half each night for a week.

“Hale! You better get your shit together and learn your damn lines! Opening night is next week and I can't have you ruining my vision by gaping at Stilinski like a fish out of water!” 

Why the school board ever approved of letting Coach produce his own original play was beyond him. Rather than voice his true opinion on the matter, Derek hollowly replied, “Sorry, Coach.”

“Whatever! That's it for today, folks! Pack your shit and get out!” Again the bullhorn. Derek wanted to shred it into itty bitty little pieces but he highly doubted his mother would approve. 

Instead, he turned on his heel and promptly marched off stage as fast as he could without actually running. Once backstage, he angrily stuffed his copy of the completely asinine script into his bag, lip curled in a dark scowl. He was swinging his bag over his shoulder, heading toward the exit when a familiar voice called his name, “Derek! Hey, Derek, wait up!”

It was Stiles, much to Derek's genuine surprise. He was jogging towards him, face flushed and blotchy as he struggled with his own bag, flannel getting caught in one of his bag’s many zippers. Derek waited, certain Stiles was going to politely ask him to drop out of play to spare them all the pain and embarrassment of his terrible acting. Derek couldn't blame him. 

However, again surprising Derek, once he stood only a few feet away from Derek, Stiles offered, “You wanna run some lines together?”

Wait, what?

“What?” Derek asked incredulously. Something about his tone must have come across as hostile because Stiles inched back slightly, suddenly looking crestfallen. 

“I mean, I know you're having a little bit of trouble memorizing the lines so I thought maybe I could help? But umm… I'll just go…,” Stiles quickly amended, beginning to turn away. “See ya around.”

“Wait!” Derek blurted louder than he had intended. Stiles did, looking over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. “I'm sorry. I was just surprised. I'd like that.”

“Really?” Stiles was smiling so radiantly Derek's breath caught in his throat and he was left dumbly nodding, feeling like someone witnessing an angel descended from heaven. Stiles eagerly grabbed Derek's wrist and tugged him out the exit, excitedly declaring, “I know a great place!”

He did. Apparently there was a small hole-in-the-wall café close to school that had amazing coffee. After following Stiles’ rickety old Jeep in his Camaro, palms clammy the entire drive, he parked beside him and followed him inside the small shop. After grabbing to-go cups of cappuccino and a few cookies, courtesy of Stiles who seemed to be hungry all the time, they returned to the small parking lot where they sat on the hood of the Camaro, scripts spread out on the glossy black metal. 

They had managed to get through three quarters of Derek's scenes when Stiles dropped his script to his lap and looked at Derek curiously, head cocked to the side. Derek spared a glance upward at Stiles, uttering a succinct, “What?” 

He wiped at his mouth with a thumb, thinking he might have some milk foam on his lip, but found nothing. Lifting his head up fully to regard Stiles, he furrowed his brow, impatiently waiting for him to say something. 

“I don't get it. We're almost done with this ridiculous script and you haven't needed up once. Not even on the Italian!” Stiles waved his arms around frantically, demonstrating why he was a natural on stage. “What happened on stage today?”

Derek shrugged nonchalantly, hoping the gesture looked more casual than he felt. “I'm fine with the script, I know all my lines, I just distracted on stage.”

“By what?” Stiles asked, looking genuinely interested in his answer, straightening up as he awaited it. When Derek meekly shrugged again and turned back to his coffee, Stiles pressed, “C'mon, man. You can tell me. What is it? Stage fright?”

“No, I just…” Derek sighed heavily as he trailed off, worried about revealing too much. Stiles nodded attentively, waving his hand to signal him to go on. Derek sighed and finally confessed aloud, “I like someone in the play and I keep getting distracted by them, okay?”

Stiles nodded thoughtfully for a moment, taking another bite of his second sugar cookie before quietly answering, “Yeah, Lydia is real pretty. But, uh, you know she's dating Jackson, right?”

Derek jerked his head back in shock, nearly spilling his coffee all over himself. Lydia? Stiles thought he liked  _ Lydia _ ? He was quick to voice his disbelief. “What? No. God, no. Not Lydia. Definitely not Lydia.”

“Oh.” Stiles was momentarily without comment, though he was quick to really after a minute. “Allison's pretty gorgeous, too. But she's dating Scott and he's my best friend so…”

“Jesus, Stiles. Not Allison, either.”

“But-But the only other person you have scenes with is…me…” 

Derek squeezed his eyes shut, sighing heavily, reasonably scared of the rejection Stiles was sure to deliver after he spoke. “Yes, Stiles. You.”

“Whoa, really?!” That was odd. Stiles didn't sound disgusted or horrified. He sounded almost happy? And hopeful? Derek slowly opened his eyes to look at Stiles. He was smiling gently, biting his lower lip, looking down at the cookie in his lap. “Well, I think that's just fine.”

“What?!” Derek yelped. 

“Yeah. It's always nice when the guy you've had a crush on since third grade turns out to like you too.” 

Derek was at a loss for words, gaping at Stiles blankly.  _ Third grade? Guy you've had a crush on…? _ Suddenly, Derek realized what Stiles was not so subtly implying. “Oh!” 

Stiles smiled at him, much less shy than moments ago. Purely on impulse, Stiles leaned forward slightly, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to Derek's lips. 

Before Stiles had managed to lean back all the way, Derek cupped his cheek and pulled him closer for a series of long, deep kisses, their lips sliding together perfectly. Once Derek broke the kiss, warm breath wafting over Stiles’ damp pink lips, he quipped, “Now I'm gonna be even more distracted.”

Stiles threw his head back in a raucous, breathless laugh, leaning heavily against Derek's side. Maybe joining the play wasn't such a bad idea after all. 


End file.
